When selecting building materials, it is important to consider how the material will affect the aesthetic of a structure. Often, this is driven by the culture of the region.
For example, mudbrick homes are characteristic of traditional Saudi Arabian architecture. In contrast, concrete has become a popular choice in modern city buildings.
Cultural Value
A culture is a set of norms that determine an individual’s perceptions and judgments. It is composed of both material and non-material elements. The non-material aspect consists of ideas, attitudes, and beliefs. It includes doctrinal values (political, ideological, religious, and social beliefs and values); aesthetics; and innate/passive value. It also encompasses ethical and moral values.
Generally, non-material culture reflects the values of a society. These include notions of right and wrong, responsibility, and social justice. It also includes a hierarchy of roles, which is based on the distribution of power and resources. These values are ingrained in people through environmental adaptations, history, and interaction with other groups.
Cultural value is a complex subject that affects many aspects of an organization. It is difficult to quantify, as it is influenced by several factors, including age, gender, education, class, and exposure to different cultural experiences. However, there are measurable changes in an organization that can be attributed to cultural change. These changes are known as cultural shifts. These are the result of a combination of changes in awareness, concern, motivation, and implementation.
Functional Needs
Building materials play a vital role in defining the design aesthetic of a structure. They must be functional, durable, and in line with the overall design concept. The selection of building materials must also be based on initial costs and life cycle costs.
The emergence of sustainable construction has brought new challenges and opportunities for the building industry. It is essential to understand how cultural influences can affect building material choices. These influencers include functional needs, environmental performance, and aesthetic values.
A questionnaire survey was developed to measure the magnitude of the respondents’ culture shift. This involved a series of questions that asked the respondents to evaluate their attitudinal and behavioral changes. The responses were assessed and appropriate scores were assigned. The survey results showed a significant cultural movement in the construction industry in the researched years. This was due to the efforts of stakeholders in their implementation of sustainability rules and regulations. This resulted in a new mindset towards sustainability. However, it is difficult to quantify socio-cultural factors. These factors are subjective and are subject to change over time.
Climate
The climate of a particular region will influence the building materials chosen. This is because the type of weather experienced will impact on the design, function and performance of a building. For instance, hot and humid weather requires more air conditioning and insulation while colder temperatures require more heating systems. The climatic conditions of the area also determines whether the material is durable enough to stand up to extreme weather events.
To achieve a sustainable society, it is necessary to nourish a culture that is favorable to sustainability requirements in terms of basic assumptions, values, beliefs and behaviour. This code of conduct is known as the sustainable culture and is the driving force towards a genuinely sustainable society.
This study used questionnaire surveys to survey the attitudinal and behavioural components of sustainable culture, which were categorized into the categories of awareness, concern, motivation and implementation. These cultural components were then measured in the context of a designated time frame to measure their change. This resulted in the calculation of a measurement tool called the Cultural Shift. This reflects the essence and magnitude of the movement of sustainable culture among construction participants.
Traditions
Tradition is a collection of customs and beliefs shared by a group of people. These traditions may be as simple as the fact that an Italian-American family always eats lasagna on Thanksgiving, or they may be as complex as religious or social practices. Some people are very attached to their traditions, even if they don’t know the history behind them.
For example, some people will only use certain materials in their homes because they were raised that way. These traditions are important to protect, but they must also allow for progress. If a culture keeps doing the same things over and over without adding anything new, it cannot be considered to be growing.
The term “tradition” is also used to refer to a belief or action that is justified because it has been done in the past. However, this kind of appeal is flawed because it ignores the fact that the world has changed. If we want to be a sustainable society, we need to change the way we do things. Otherwise, we will lose the knowledge and the biodiversity that our traditions represent.
Fashion
Fashion has a strong influence on building material choices. As a result, it is important for architects and designers to be knowledgeable about the materials they choose and their environmental impact. It is also important to be aware of the cultural influences that affect building material choices.
Mudbrick technology and permanent architecture became normalized throughout the PPNA as a result of social complexities in village life and changes in symbolic behavior. This paper challenges environmentally determined approaches to explain mudbrick technology and its adoption in the PPNA, by exploring the relationship between architectural form and material culture as codes of social practice and ideology.
There has been a consistent upward trend in sustainability/CSR-related discussions concerning fashion since 2012 (Figure 2). The Earth Logic fashion research action plan argues for “putting the health of Planet Earth and its inhabitants before fashion business as usual,” which includes incorporating CSR practices into formal and informal fashion industry structures and educating consumers about environmentally sustainable fashion. This could include the establishment of fashion eco-stores, for example, which provide consumers with a wide variety of ecologically sustainable options.